The 26-year-old lauded his Red Devils team-mate and the Paris Saint-Germain forward ahead of France’s 2020 UEFA European Championship qualifier in Moldova on Friday.

Speaking to Eurosport (h/t Liam Corless of the Manchester Evening News), Pogba called the attacking prodigies “the future” of the game as he described his relationship with them on the pitch:

“It helps me because they are both fast. They call for the ball a lot which helps me when I have the ball. They call for it, I try to make the best pass and they finish—so it benefits me. I like playing with young talented players like them. They are the future of football and my partnership with them is good.”

Natacha Pisarenko/Associated Press

Pogba and Mbappe combined in the French side as they won the 2018 World Cup in Russia. The mercurial midfielder has also seen his playing chemistry with Rashford improve since the arrival of interim manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer to Old Trafford.

United have witnessed a huge upturn in fortunes since the managerial switch at the club before Christmas. Pogba has been central to the cause as he continues to produce excellent figures from the centre of the park.

The Frenchman has scored 13 goals and provided 10 assists for his club in the Premier League and UEFA Champions League this season.

However, TalkSport pundit Dean Saunders has said United should consider selling Pogba after the player said it would be a “dream for anyone” to feature for Real Madrid:

talkSPORT @talkSPORT

“I despair at some of the things Paul Pogba is coming out with.”

“I think they should get rid of him. He’s a good player but he causes problems.”

Pogba is the magician behind both Rashford and Mbappe for club and country. It is vital the midfielder is given the freedom he needs to set off attacks to utilise their blistering pace.

Rashford is blossoming as a No. 9, and he seems to be learning tips and tricks from Solskjaer. The Norwegian was nicknamed the “Baby-faced Assassin” during his playing career, and the England international is starting to show similarities to his coach in front of goal.

Mbappe’s potential is unlimited, and the PSG player is set to become the best striker in the world if he continues his stunning development at the current pace.

]]>https://soccer.10ztalk.com/2019/03/21/paul-pogba-marcus-rashford-and-kylian-mbappe-are-the-future-of-football-bleacher-report/feed/0The great goalkeeper debate – and how good Ederson and David De Gea REALLY arehttps://soccer.10ztalk.com/2019/03/21/the-great-goalkeeper-debate-and-how-good-ederson-and-david-de-gea-really-are/
https://soccer.10ztalk.com/2019/03/21/the-great-goalkeeper-debate-and-how-good-ederson-and-david-de-gea-really-are/#respondThu, 21 Mar 2019 15:55:23 +0000https://soccer.10ztalk.com/?p=121931

With less than a quarter of the Premier League season remaining, so many questions remain unanswered. The Premier League title race looks set to go down to the wire, as does the race for the top four – and indeed the battle to avoid the drop. Furthermore there is also a race to the Premier […]

With less than a quarter of the Premier League season remaining, so many questions remain unanswered.

The Premier League title race looks set to go down to the wire, as does the race for the top four – and indeed the battle to avoid the drop.

Furthermore there is also a race to the Premier League’s Golden Boot and the Golden Glove.

In terms of the latter, the current top three is led by Liverpool’s Alisson Becker with 17 clean sheets, followed by Manchester City’s Ederson on 14 and Kepa Arrizabalaga on 11.

Irrespective of who secures the award come May, questions will still remain over who is the Premier League’s chief shot-stopper.

The position has been locked down for a number of seasons by Manchester United’s formidable keeper David De Gea, however there has been an enormous investment on keepers by the Premier League’s top sides in recent seasons.

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City parted with £35m to bring in Ederson last season as Pep Guardiola sourced a keeper capable of implementing his ball-playing style, meanwhile Liverpool splashed out £60m in their bid to secure an elite shot-stopper between the sticks.

Thibaut Courtois’ departure in the summer saw Chelsea break the record set by Liverpool several weeks earlier as they paid the highest fee ever for a goalkeeper in the sum of £71.6m for Kepa.

The arrivals of Alisson and Kepa this season, along with Ederson in the last, has cast doubt over the validity of De Gea’s Premier League top spot.

But who has really proven themselves the best man in between the sticks out of those four shot-stoppers?

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Who concedes more – or less – than they should?

Initially looking at Expected Goals Conceded (xGC) – which is a metric that assesses the likelihood that a shot would lead to a goal based on numerous factors such as shot distance and quality of the assist provided – we can see Alisson has an xGC total of 24.86 for this season.

This would suggest he should have conceded around 25 goals this campaign. However, he has in fact conceded just 18 goals, demonstrating he has outperformed his xGC total by 6.86. In simple terms, he is allowing fewer goals past him than would be expected.

Ederson ranks second in the group, conceding 1.84 goals less than he should have given the shots he has faced. This betters De Gea’s total slightly with the Spaniard conceding 1.75 goals fewer than expected.

Meanwhile for Kepa, he had an xGC total of 31.48 in the league this season. However, notably in that time he conceded 33 goals. He is therefore the only keeper on the list to be underperforming against their xGC season total.

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Notable other performers in this department are Tottenham’s Hugo Lloris who is bettering his xGC by -7.75 and West Ham’s Lukasz Fabianski who ranks top in the Premier League, outperforming his xGC by -8.89.

Who is the best shot-stopper?

Save percentage table for the four players

Each side’s relative dominance means they aren’t often called into action, but again Alisson tops the table in terms of the best save percentage of the group with 77.5%.

Notably both Brazilian keepers play behind formidable defences that allow the opposition few shots on goal, with both Liverpool and Manchester City conceding an average of just over two shots per 90 minutes.

Even when they do give up shots, they tend not to be dangerous ones. Opponents on average take shots from 16.81 metres away against City’s goal and 18.83 metres away from Liverpool’s.

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De Gea performs well in this department, ranking second behind Alisson with a save percentage with 72.6 per cent. Again Kepa ranks last of the group with a 67.33 per cent save percentage.

Who is the most reliable and commanding?

When it comes to commanding their 18-yard-box, Ederson leads the way in opting to leave his line on a more regular basis. When facing a cross into the box or closing an attacker down, he averages 1.06 exits per 90 minutes which betters the rest of the group.

Some of that authority translates in terms of his success in aerial duels too, posting a 92.31 per cent success rate against the opposition. Both De Gea and Kepa have impressively won 100 per cent of all their aerial duels this season.

This department is one in which Alisson has struggled somewhat. He not only makes the fewest exits per 90 minutes, but he also has the lowest success rate in terms of aerial duels at 80 per cent.

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Furthermore, he has made more errors leading to a goal than any of the other keeper in the list. Only Everton’s Jordan Pickford has made more this season in the Premier League, with four.

As a result, he has been directly responsible for 16.7 per cent of Liverpool’s conceded goals this season.

Who is the best in terms of distribution?

With a £71.6m price tag hanging over his head, Kepa’s underlying stats for the campaign are largely underwhelming this season.

However, he can redeem himself slightly in terms of his distribution, averaging 21.65 passes per 90 minutes with an impressive success rate of 90.41 per cent in those passes.

This betters all of the other three keepers, including Man City’s Ederson who has been credited as the first real ‘ball-playing’ keeper to grace the Premier League following his arrival in England last season.

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What’s notable is De Gea’s lack of passes per 90 minutes and indeed success rate in those passes. He also exhibits the longest pass average of the four keepers too.

This likely illustrates the Spaniard’s lack of comfort either in possession of the ball or indeed playing out from the back. His bias tends to be to play the ball long and clear any potential danger.

So, who is the best?

Ederson’s arrival to the Premier League raised question marks over the legitimacy of De Gea’s crown.

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Now with the arrival of Alisson and Kepa too, the above data escalated serious doubts as to whether he can still boast the number one crown. Yet, it is worth nothing it has been an extremely difficult campaign for Manchester United. His best form this season has presented itself following the arrival of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.

Given his displays over the previous five seasons, he deserves another full season under a settled stewardship before being written off in the top spot debate.

As for City’s first-choice, he has perhaps proven himself as the most reliable and consistent of all four goalkeepers. He ranks prominently in each and every department and has notably yet to make a single mistake leading to a goal all season.

]]>https://soccer.10ztalk.com/2019/03/21/the-great-goalkeeper-debate-and-how-good-ederson-and-david-de-gea-really-are/feed/0Three men sentenced to total of 17 years over illegal Premier League streaming | Footballhttps://soccer.10ztalk.com/2019/03/21/three-men-sentenced-to-total-of-17-years-over-illegal-premier-league-streaming-football/
https://soccer.10ztalk.com/2019/03/21/three-men-sentenced-to-total-of-17-years-over-illegal-premier-league-streaming-football/#respondThu, 21 Mar 2019 14:00:37 +0000https://soccer.10ztalk.com/?p=121787Three operators of a pirate streaming organisation which provided illegal access to Premier League games to more than 1,000 pubs, clubs and homes in England and Wales over the last decade have been jailed for a total of 17 years. Steven King, who masterminded the fraud while trading under the names Dreambox, Dreambox TV Limited, […]

Three operators of a pirate streaming organisation which provided illegal access to Premier League games to more than 1,000 pubs, clubs and homes in England and Wales over the last decade have been jailed for a total of 17 years.

Steven King, who masterminded the fraud while trading under the names Dreambox, Dreambox TV Limited, and Digital Switchover Limited, was handed the biggest sentence of seven years and four months in jail. Paul Rolston was sentenced to six years and four months while Daniel Malone was given three years and three months by Warwick crown court after a four-week trial.

The Premier League is eager to prevent illegal streaming to help protect the value of broadcast rights for media companies such as Sky and BT.

Premier League director of legal services Kevin Plumb said the sentences reflected the seriousness of the crime, he said: “Using these services is unlawful and fans should be aware that when they do so they enter into agreements with illegal businesses. They also risk being victims of fraud or identity theft by handing over personal data and financial details.”

Former Manchester United captain Rio Ferdinand says Liverpool fans have ‘come back out of the woodwork’ as the Premier League title race prepares to enter the final straight. Liverpool currently lead Manchester City by two points at the top of the table, but Jurgen Klopp’s side have played a game more than City. The Reds […]

Former Manchester United captain Rio Ferdinand says Liverpool fans have ‘come back out of the woodwork’ as the Premier League title race prepares to enter the final straight.

Liverpool currently lead Manchester City by two points at the top of the table, but Jurgen Klopp’s side have played a game more than City.

The Reds had a seven point lead at the turn of the year, but City have come back to level matters with just eight games remaining in the league.

United are behind their two rivals in fifth place, and Ferdinand was speaking about which team he would prefer to see lift the Premier League in May.

City would be winning their second successive title, and fourth Premier League trophy in seven years. Liverpool would be winning their first Premier League title.

And Ferdinand told the Mirror that Liverpool fans would make them winning the league a more painful experience from a United perspective.

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He said: “This is the worst possible case scenario for someone who supports or played for Manchester United. And I’m a pundit who’s got to talk about it publicly and squirm. The better of the two evils is Manchester City winning the league because I’ve seen it, I’ve been a part of it as a player, so I’ve been able to deal with it emotionally.

“But there ain’t that many Man City fans to have a go at me anyway. With Liverpool, it’s a different story.

“There’s fans I didn’t even know supported Liverpool that have come back out of the woodwork after 20 years of being silent that are starting to speak before they’ve won anything.

“So it’d be a lot more painful to see them win the league [over Man City], but listen the best team will win it and whoever that is well done.”

If Liverpool were to win the league, it would be their 19th top flight title win, closing the gap to United’s record of 20.

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]]>https://soccer.10ztalk.com/2019/03/21/manchester-united-hero-rio-ferdinand-takes-swipe-at-liverpool-fc-fans-ahead-of-title-run-in/feed/0The advantage Man City can get over Liverpool FC thanks to the international breakhttps://soccer.10ztalk.com/2019/03/21/the-advantage-man-city-can-get-over-liverpool-fc-thanks-to-the-international-break/
https://soccer.10ztalk.com/2019/03/21/the-advantage-man-city-can-get-over-liverpool-fc-thanks-to-the-international-break/#respondThu, 21 Mar 2019 10:34:42 +0000https://soccer.10ztalk.com/?p=121534

Manchester City’s players will be travelling a lot less this international break than their title chasing rivals. As the end of the season fast approaches, both title contenders are looking for any potential advantage they may have over one another. Fortunately for City, the international break has given them one. Pep Guardiola’s players heading out […]

Manchester City’s players will be travelling a lot less this international break than their title chasing rivals.

As the end of the season fast approaches, both title contenders are looking for any potential advantage they may have over one another.

Fortunately for City, the international break has given them one. Pep Guardiola’s players heading out on international duty are set to travel 24,487 miles between them.

As well as being hopeful that Fernandinho, John Stones, Benjamin Mendy, and Kevin De Bruyne can work their way back to fitness in this fortnight, City’s manager has crossed his fingers that the players that have gone away with their national teams return as healthy as they were when they left Manchester.

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And the coach will be delighted that his squad will have clocked up more than 13,000 fewer miles than Liverpool’s (37,749 miles) collectively.

Neither club’s players, however, face as gruelling a week as those of Tottenham. Spurs’ players will be travelling a combined 63,782 miles between them this international break. That’s by far the most of any Premier League club.

The distances have been calculated as a round trip from each player’s home ground, to the stadiums where their national team will play and back again.

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]]>https://soccer.10ztalk.com/2019/03/21/the-advantage-man-city-can-get-over-liverpool-fc-thanks-to-the-international-break/feed/0Phil Foden Compared to Lionel Messi by Coach Who Took Him to Manchester City | Bleacher Reporthttps://soccer.10ztalk.com/2019/03/21/phil-foden-compared-to-lionel-messi-by-coach-who-took-him-to-manchester-city-bleacher-report/
https://soccer.10ztalk.com/2019/03/21/phil-foden-compared-to-lionel-messi-by-coach-who-took-him-to-manchester-city-bleacher-report/#respondThu, 21 Mar 2019 09:36:35 +0000https://soccer.10ztalk.com/?p=121463

Robbie Jay Barratt – AMA/Getty Images Phil Foden has been compared to Barcelona legend and five-time Ballon d’Or winner Lionel Messi by the man who was responsible for bringing him to Manchester City. Jim Cassell spotted Foden, 18, when he was City’s head of youth development, drawing parallels between the teenager and Messi for his physical […]

Phil Foden has been compared to Barcelona legend and five-time Ballon d’Or winner Lionel Messi by the man who was responsible for bringing him to Manchester City.

Jim Cassell spotted Foden, 18, when he was City’s head of youth development, drawing parallels between the teenager and Messi for his physical attributes and style of play, per the Daily Mail‘s Ian Ladyman:

“Philip was a unique talent at six. He was a natural, Messi-like the way he covered the ground. He had low gravity, in and out of things.

“I look at him now and think, ‘Come on Philip.’ We are just waiting for the next growth thing. After that he will fly. City haven’t seen a fraction yet of what he has.

“Once he grows again and goes on a run he will be going past three or four players with the ball. Like he did as a kid, just like Messi. He will be in an England squad in 18 months for certain.”

Foden made 10 appearances for City last season (five in the Premier League) but has already doubled that number in what’s been a breakthrough 2018-19 campaign, during which he’s netted six goals.

The starlet is yet to score in England’s top flight but has bagged goals in the UEFA Champions League, FA Cup and the Carabao Cup this term.

Former Premier League defender Michael Gray recently appeared on TalkSport and argued the City prodigy should have joined Chelsea‘s Callum Hudson-Odoi, also 18, in the most recent England squad:

talkSPORT @talkSPORT

“If you’re giving Hudson-Odoi the opportunity, then Foden is ready.”

“He’s good enough, I wish a few of the younger players get the opportunity.”

Cassell, 71, was removed from his role as City’s youth chief not long after the clubw ere taken over in 2008, which was also the last year in which the club lifted the FA Youth Cup.

He played a hand in promoting the likes of Daniel Sturridge, Kieran Trippier and Kasper Schmeichel, each of whom are playing Premier League football.

Foden is only at the beginning of his career but is already earning widespread plaudits in England and is expected to earn his first senior international cap in the foreseeable future.

City boss Pep Guardiola is the only man with experience coaching both him and Messi, but the Catalan was keen to limit the expectations on his charge, via Goal’s Sam Lee:

Sam Lee @Sammy_Goal

Would it be a shame if Foden does not play for England at Euro 2020? Guardiola: “maybe that would be a good decision”. Plus more, including: “He’s an incredible talent but he still has a lot of things to improve. It’s simple for his age.” (NB Foden’s 18 not 19, as stated) https://t.co/OK50IB9YG0

He’s quick even with the ball at his feet, has a pragmatic head and has the potential to switch pace at a moment’s notice.

Guardiola has been an admirer of the club’s academy product, and all signs suggest Stockport native Foden will be handed increased responsibilities next season.

For all the money City have spent on players in recent years, Foden could grow to become the club’s most profitable recruit if he lives up to Cassell’s expectations.

OLI SCARFF/Getty Images Manchester United midfielder Paul Pogba has said poor results were the root cause of Jose Mourinho‘s sacking at the club, dismissing the notion it was anything to do with player unrest. Mourinho’s broken relationship with Pogba was thought to be a factor behind his December dismissal, but the playmaker told a press […]

Manchester United midfielder Paul Pogba has said poor results were the root cause of Jose Mourinho‘s sacking at the club, dismissing the notion it was anything to do with player unrest.

Mourinho’s broken relationship with Pogba was thought to be a factor behind his December dismissal, but the playmaker told a press conference his old boss was shown the door because of poor results, per Goal:

Goal @goal

Paul Pogba *really* doesn’t like Jose Mourinho, does he?

Look at his face https://t.co/y1m31opt6a

He said: “What were the issues? We were not winning. That’s why they decided to change the head coach. The results matter the most. If we were winning, we would have good results and the coach would have remained at his position. That’s all.”

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer was appointed Mourinho’s replacement on an interim basis. Results have improved drastically since his arrival, and the Norwegian is expected to be named his permanent successor, per the Guardian‘s Jamie Jackson.

United went unbeaten in their first 11 games under Solskjaer, having suffered a 3-1 defeat to Liverpool in Mourinho’s last game in charge. The team won six of their last 18 games with the Portuguese at the helm.

Pogba’s performances in particular have improved. Sportswriter Kris Voakes recently noted his return to a leadership position in the squad, having been stripped of the vice-captaincy when Mourinho was boss in September:

Kris Voakes @krisvoakes

Having been stripped of the #MUFC vice-captaincy by Jose Mourinho in September, Paul Pogba has the armband back tonight against Wolves. https://t.co/p6QNPQcgFM

The Frenchman racked up three goals and three assists in his first 14 Premier League appearances of the season under Mourinho. He’s scored eight goals and recorded six assists in his 13 league appearances since Solskjaer took over.

The Red Devils suffered just one defeat in their first 17 matches under Mourinho’s replacement but have now lost back-to-back games and were knocked out of the FA Cup by Wolverhampton Wanderers on Saturday.

That 2-1 defeat at Molineux served as a reminder United are still far from being an elite side, per Goal’s Sacha Pisani:

Sacha Pisani @Sachk0

Wolves deservedly lead Manchester United.

Worst I’ve seen United play since Solskjaer replaced Mourinho in December.

Lethargic etc

#WOLMUN #FACup

A 2-0 defeat at Arsenal prior to that left United outside the Premier League’s top four, with their UEFA Champions League qualification hopes now hanging in the balance.

Pogba isn’t the only player at Old Trafford whose displays have improved following Solskjaer’s appointment, and one could argue striker Marcus Rashford has benefited even more so:

Goal @goal

1⃣2⃣ goals in all competitions for Marcus Rashford this season

4⃣ under Jose Mourinho

8⃣ under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer https://t.co/9CJ0oI1Efy

United return to Premier League action after the international break when they host Watford on Saturday, March 30.

The Premier League is on a break this weekend as international football takes centre stage and it’s the perfect time to look back on the season so far. This is a time for reflection and an opportunity to commend some of the top performances both club and as a team from the campaign so far. […]

Former Manchester City defender Joleon Lescott says not a single Liverpool player could get into Pep Guardiola’s side, as the two teams battle for the Premier League title. City trail Liverpool by two points in the table, but have a game in hand, and are looking for their second successive Premier League title. If City […]

Former Manchester City defender Joleon Lescott says not a single Liverpool player could get into Pep Guardiola’s side, as the two teams battle for the Premier League title.

City trail Liverpool by two points in the table, but have a game in hand, and are looking for their second successive Premier League title.

If City were to pip Liverpool to the league in May, it would be their fourth Premier League trophy – and Lescott was part of the side that won the club’s first in 2012.

Now involved at City, looking after the academy players out on loan, Lescott feels his former side have the edge over Liverpool in the title race.

Speaking to SportingBet, Lescott said City’s squad is superior to Liverpool – claiming Guardiola would not take any player from Merseyside to improve his own side.

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He said: “Both Pep Guardiola and Jurgen Klopp will each be happy with their own team and their players suit their styles of football.

“I’m not sure I’d take a single one of Liverpool’s players for Man City’s team, but it’s fair to say both have put together great squads.

“From a Man City perspective, I have been very impressed with Aymeric Laporte this season, who has arguably made a similar impact to what Virgil Van Dijk has at Liverpool.”

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Van Dijk is widely tipped to win the end-of-season Player of the Year awards, but Lescott feels that honour should be given to a player from whoever wins the league.

He said: “Player of the Year can’t be decided without anyone winning a trophy, but I think it has to be Sterling or Aguero if Man City go on to win the Premier League.

“If Liverpool win the Premier League, it will be a toss-up between Alisson and van Dijk because it will be their defensive solidarity that has laid the foundations for them to win their first title in many years.

“I think success can only be measured on the players who achieve their goals.”

Manchester United may not have enjoyed the best of seasons to date but one of their key men Paul Pogba has still made a Premier League XI based on key stats. The Premier League is on a break this weekend as international football takes centre stage and it’s the perfect time to look back on […]

It’s quite a feat for the Frenchman considering that he was below his best under previous manager Jose Mourinho before his departure in December. Pogba and Mourinho never saw eye to eye and the former was accused of not playing to his peak for the Portuguese.

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However, since Ole Gunnar Solskjaer took over from Mourinho, Pogba has been back to his best and his inclusion in this Premier League XI highlights that.

Sky Sports say only six players have had more touches than Pogba this season, with the midfielder having put together an impressive stats total of eleven goals and nine assists so far.